Keep You Warm
by Kristen3
Summary: While running an errand for Frasier, Daphne finds herself stranded in the cold. But when Niles comes to her rescue, she finds more than she expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Thanks to Andrea (iloveromance) for helping me w/ the idea for this. Also thanks to Leigh Ann (leighann415) for reading drafts as I wrote.

Daphne was so angry she could barely see to drive. Dr. Crane was on a date right now, seeing an opera with a woman he called "the one." And his father was spending the evening with some of his fellow ex-cops, watching some sporting event. But rather than enjoying her night as they were, Daphne was stuck running an errand on her night off. Dr. Crane needed her to pick up a bottle of wine from his favorite wine shop. He'd even written down the name of the wine to avoid confusion. As if Daphne were incapable of remembering his instructions.

Luckily, she was almost at the shop now. She turned into the parking lot. Surprisingly, the shopping center seemed almost deserted. Well, at least there wouldn't be a crowd. Daphne was grateful, because she wanted to get this chore over with so she could go home and curl up with a movie. She quickly slammed her car into park after finding a space. She took a moment to retrieve Dr. Crane's precious instructions from her purse, reading them over one more time. The last thing she wanted was to mess this up, and endure a lecture from her boss on why he needed this _particular _wine, and not one which was merely similar. With a sigh, she exited the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind her. A feeling of unease began to set in as she walked towards the store. It didn't look like any lights were on inside. _Bloody hell, I hope it's not closed_, she thought.

When Daphne finally reached the door, her fears were confirmed. A sign was taped to the window explaining the new hours. It had closed about thirty minutes ago. Well, this was certainly her lucky day! Now she wouldn't be able to get Dr. Crane's precious wine; he'd told her several times that no other store in Seattle had it. A frustrated sigh escaped from her. At least now she could go home and watch that movie. She tried not to think about the lecture she would get tomorrow, even though she'd had no way of knowing the store's hours had changed.

Panic set in as Daphne returned to her car. She reached into her purse for her keys, but she couldn't find them. She _always_ put them in her purse. How could this be? She'd had them not five minutes ago when she'd shut off the engine. Her heart began to pound. The keys were not on the ground near the car. She saw that immediately. Next she pressed her face to the car window to look inside. Sure enough, the keys sat right on the driver's seat. She must've missed when she threw them into her purse. Instinctively she reached for the door handle. Then she remembered: her car doors locked automatically.

For a long time, Daphne stood there, just staring at her car, in hopes that the door might magically unlock. But of course nothing happened. The temperature began to dip. Before long, Daphne was cold. She took out her cellphone. She knew the older Dr. Crane would have his phone off during the opera. He was adamant about that. Roz was spending the week with relatives in Wisconsin. This left Daphne with only one option. She scrolled through her contact list till she found his name.

Her fingers could barely feel the buttons. She waited while the phone rang. "Niles Crane."

"Dr. Crane, it's Daphne. Your brother sent me out to get a bottle of wine. But the shop's closed, and I've locked me keys in the car. It's awfully cold out here."

Niles did not hesitate. "I'll be right there." Daphne gave him her location, and hung up the phone. There was nothing more to do but wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Daphne sat on a bench outside the closed wine store. She desperately hugged herself to keep warm. What was taking Dr. Crane so bloody long? She didn't think she'd ever been this cold in her life. Not only that, but she was out at night all alone. She'd heard Mr. Crane's stories of women who'd been attacked, and sometimes worse, in situations just like this. She hadn't seen a single person since she'd been sitting here, but that didn't exactly comfort her. Tears threatened to fall, but she fought them as much as she could. This whole thing was her own stupid fault. If she'd been paying attention when she got out of the car, she would've realized she didn't have her keys.

Daphne grew impatient, wondering what was keeping Dr. Crane. She doubted she'd ever felt so alone. Suddenly, she saw a car pull into the parking lot. Niles parked quickly. He got out of the car and rushed toward her.

Daphne wept at the sight of him. "What took you so long?!"

Niles held her close. "You're freezing!"

She clung to him, grateful for the warmth.

Niles rubbed her back, doing his best to soothe her. "I would've been here sooner, but I wanted to make sure I had blankets in the car for you. We can leave your car here for now. Frasier and I can come back tomorrow morning to pick it up. You can stay at my place tonight. I got the guestroom all ready for you. I'm just glad you're safe!"

Daphne had been looking forward to a quiet night at home. But suddenly, she decided she couldn't spend another moment by herself. "All right."

Niles smiled. "Let's get you home." He took her hand and led her to his car. "I'll make you something to eat when we get back. Frasier should never have sent you out on a night like this. The weather forecast was predicting below-freezing temperatures. I hate to think of what might've happened to you out here!"

Daphne smiled, touched by his concern. "It doesn't matter now. I'm just glad you came."

Niles drove Daphne back to the Montana. He made soup for her, and in no time she was feeling much better.

"Thank you, Dr. Crane," Daphne said as she stood up.

Niles saw that she was about to clear the table. "You're my guest. You just sit here and relax."

Daphne looked at him in surprise. She was so used to helping others that it was second nature. This, however, was new. "All right." She sat back down.

Niles took the dish from her and quickly took it into the kitchen. "Would you like anything else?" he asked when he returned. Daphne shook her head. "All right, I'll show you to your guestroom."

Daphne followed him up the stairs. She remembered getting a tour of this apartment when he'd first moved here. But she hadn't paid attention to just how lovely this place was. It was such a contrast to the mansion he'd lived in before his divorce. This apartment was warm and inviting, where his mansion had seemed as cold as his wife.

Niles led her to the guestroom. "Here you are, Daphne."

Daphne let out a gasp as she entered the room. It was beautiful. The bed looked a thousand times more comfortable than her room at Elliot Bay Towers. She wondered if he kept it like this all the time, or if he'd only done all of this because of her. But she didn't want to make him uncomfortable by asking.

Niles could hardly believe that Daphne would be staying here for the night. He'd left a message on his brother's answering machine, letting him know where Daphne would be. "I hope this will be to your liking. If you need anything, just let me know. The guest bathroom is right across the hall. I wasn't sure what you would want to sleep in, but I found some of my pajamas that should fit you. They probably won't be as comfortable as what you're used to, but it's the best I could do."

Daphne smiled at him. "Everything looks lovely. Thank you, Dr. Crane." She kissed his cheek.

Niles felt his cheek burn from her kiss. "You're welcome. I'll leave you alone so you can get some rest. Good night, Daphne."

Before he could leave, she pulled him into a hug. "Before you showed up, I was awfully frightened. I don't know how to thank you for coming to me rescue."

Niles took a moment to inhale the scent of her perfume before answering. "It was nothing, Daphne. Frasier should never have put you in that situation. I'm just glad that you're safe now."

Daphne squeezed his hand. "Well, I appreciate everything you've done tonight. I'll have to find some way to thank you."

Niles' heart raced as he imagined ways that Daphne could thank him. "That won't be necessary. I know you must be tired after your ordeal. We can talk about that in the morning." Reluctantly he let go of her hand. Daphne began to walk toward the bed. Niles was tempted to stay for a moment, to make sure she would be safe here for the night. But he knew Daphne would want her privacy. He left and started down the hall to his own room. As he got himself ready for bed, he thought about Daphne's last comment. Perhaps, if he felt brave enough, he might be able to make his own dream come true in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

When Daphne awoke the next morning it took a moment to remember where she was. But once she did, she let out a peaceful sigh. She couldn't recall the last time she'd slept so soundly. She could stay in this comfortable bed all day, but she knew that wouldn't be possible. Quickly she got up and dressed. A minute later, she made her way downstairs. As much as she'd enjoyed Dr. Crane's hospitality, she had to return to the other Dr. Crane's. She knew he would probably be upset with her, and the sooner she faced the storm, the sooner it would be over with.

Niles was surprised when he came out of the kitchen and saw Daphne already dressed for the day. "I was just about to go and see if you were awake. Would you like some breakfast?"

Daphne shook her head. "That's very sweet of you, but I'd better be going. I have to check on your father."

Niles couldn't hide his disappointment. "I hope I haven't done something to make you uncomfortable, Daphne."

She took a step toward him. "Not at all. But you've done enough for me already. I'd hate to be a bother."

Niles walked over to her. "You could never be a bother. I know you must have things to do today, but my schedule this morning is rather light. I thought perhaps we could do something together."

Daphne was shocked by his offer. "Like what?"

Niles shrugged. "Anything you like."

Daphne grinned. "That sounds lovely. But I insist that you let me repay you for all you've done. I can't have you thinking I'm not grateful."

Niles reached over and took her hand. "I could never think you were ungrateful. Besides, what I did last night was no trouble. It could never be an inconvenience to help a person I love."

Daphne was surprised by what she heard. If she didn't know better, she would think he was saying that he was in love with her. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him in disbelief. The more she looked at him, the more she realized that was exactly what he was saying. "Oh, my God. I never imagined..."

Niles brought Daphne's hand to his lips, gently kissing it. "Daphne, when you called me last night, I knew you needed help. I could never live with myself if anything had happened to you."

Daphne's mind was reeling from what he was telling her. "But how can you be saying you're in love with me? You're me friend, but..." Once again, her voice trailed off.

Niles couldn't resist caressing her cheek. "I've never been able to tell you how I felt until now. But I've felt this way since the moment I first saw you. I know I brought this up rather suddenly. But...if you'll let me, I promise that I'll do my best to take care of you and make you happy."

As Daphne stared into his blue eyes, she felt a sense of peace and comfort she'd never known before. Though her mind still struggled to make sense of it all, her heart already accepted the truth. Yes, she loved him, too. In a flash, she had a vision. She saw herself and Niles here in this very apartment. They sat next to one another, beaming as they watched their children play. She knew the vision was a long way from coming true, but she could hardly wait. For the rest of her future was bound to be even more beautiful than she could ever imagine.

**The End**


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